


The beginning of something great

by orphan_account



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: F/F, F/M, Gen, Internalized Homophobia, M/M, Multi, in sorry this is pretty bad, the party is not heterosexual, will update as I go
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-25
Updated: 2020-09-01
Packaged: 2021-03-03 23:33:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 18
Words: 7,236
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24913915
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Will sneaks glances at mike,Max’s heart flutters every time El laughsDustin shifts closer to LucasThis could be the beginning of something great
Relationships: Dustin Henderson/Lucas Sinclair, Eleven | Jane Hopper/Maxine "Max" Mayfield, Jonathan Byers/Nancy Wheeler, Joyce Byers/Jim "Chief" Hopper, Will Byers/Mike Wheeler
Comments: 2
Kudos: 90





	1. popsicles

Mike shifts, causing Lucas so be squeezed closer to the arm rest. 

“Damnit! This couch is too small I’m moving!” Lucas says, throwing his elbows around.  
“Ugh just sit on the ground then!” Max says, pulling el out of the way as Lucas attempts to get out of the dog pile. 

He finally settles onto the ground, eyes glued back onto the screen. 

The room is silent exept for the screams and grisly noises coming from the tv. 

Dustin moves down to the ground, subtly shuffling closer and closer to his friend. 

Lucas looks over and sees Dustin’s eyes wide, fixed to the horrific murder on the screen.  
His shoulders are tense, a sign of discomfort. 

“Uh hey, me and Dustin are going to get some snacks, you guys want any?” 

“Can I have a soda?” Will says, tapping his fingers on the arm rest, glancing briefly at Mike. 

“Sure” 

Dustin rises quickly, not wanting to obscure his friends view of the movie. 

They get into the kitchen, Mikes parents long gone upstairs.  
“You okay man?” Lucas asks as soon as they are out of earshot. 

“Yea.. it’s just really bloody” he responds. 

“Yea, max picked it out” he says, offering it as an explanation. 

Dustin silently rustles through the fridge, groaning at the meager options. 

He finds a root beer, grabbing it for Will.  
Root beer was his favorite. 

“They don’t have any good food here!” He moans, closing the fridge in defeat. 

He opens the freezer, not expecting to see much. 

His eyes light up. 

“Holy shit! Score!” He says excitedly, holding up a box of popsicles.

They grab six popsicles then shove the half empty box back into the the fridge. 

They triumphantly return, Dustin standing like a knight holding the popsicle high above his head. 

“We have returned, bearing dessert!” He says in a booming voice. 

Eleven giggles, the sound causing Max’s heart to leap a little.  
She gets up, smirking at her friends antics. 

“Dork.” Max says, snatching two of them out of his hands. 

Jane happily grabs it, tearing off the plastic wrapping.  
“Mmm” she mutters, eyes briefly fluttering closed. 

“My parents said-“ mike starts, interrupted by Lucas  
“Screw your parents! We want popsicles!” 

Mike sighs, knowing even if his parents notice, which isn’t likely, they won’t care.

“Okay. Fine”

Lucas sets the soda down next to Will, who takes a swig then passes it to Mike, who accepts without hesitation. 

They all watch the screen, newly invigorated by the sugary treats. 

They all pass glances and whispers, some meaningless while others carrying a certain amount of weight.  
Although they don’t understand why they do. 

They might forget the murmurs transferred from ear to ear,  
But in the moment they don’t.  
They carry meaning,  
A meaning that is not understood, for they are light comments, unimportant at a strangers glance. 

But they aren’t strangers.


	2. it feels right

Will twists, nails scratching against something to his left.   
He moans and groans, eyes filling with tears.   
“Mike-“ 

Mike is shaken awake, arm throbbing.   
He hears someone yelling his name.   
He turns to see Will thrashing about, tears streaming down his face.

He props himself up, shaking his friends awake. 

“Will! Will!” he yells, voice thick with worry. 

Wills eyes snapped open, pupils dilated in fear. 

He is hyperventilating, chest rising and falling quickly. 

He sees mike and begins to calm down, clutching his chest. 

“Mike-“ he says, breathing slowing down slightly.   
“I thought I was back in the upside down..” he says softly.   
“Will.” Mike says forcefully, pulling the shorter boy closer to him.   
“You are fine, you are surrounded by your friends” he says this quietly, as not to wake up the rest of the sleeping bodies.   
He runs his fingers through his friends hair, still whispering into his ear.   
After a few minutes of these quite comforting murmurs, Will pulled away, face heated. 

He looks at Mikes arm and a small gasp escapes his lip.

“Mike- what happened?” he asks, eyes fixed onto the small scrapes down his arm. 

Mike glances down at his arm for the first time since he was woken up.   
It was littered in small scratches, not bleeding but puffed up like a cat scratch.   
So that’s why his arm hurts. 

“Did I do that-?” Will asks softly, eyes shifting down guiltily. 

“Will- it’s fine.” Mike assures him,   
“You didn’t know” he adds 

“Alright..” will says after a pause 

The moment becomes thick, not awkward but not comfortable. 

Mike scratches the back of his neck,   
“We should probably sleep..” he proposes   
“yeah-“ 

They both lay back down, Will shuddering when he closes his eyes. 

He sees creeping vines and white spores floating lazily down to the ground. 

His eyes snap open as he shifts closer to Mike. 

Mike hears shuffling and small breaths beside him.   
“uhm.. you can join me.. if your still seeing it” he whispers, clumsily stumbling over his words. 

Will silently gets up, then curls into Mikes chest.   
“thanks Mikey” he says, causing mike to smile at the old nickname  
“anytime” 

He said that, and he meant it.   
He would do anything for will. 

“goodnight will” he says softly,   
but he gets no worded response, only light breaths.   
Mike wraps his arm around the other boy, causing a flurry in the pit of his stomach to erupt.   
Mike doesn’t think as he presses a kiss to the top of his head. 

It comes naturally, and it feels right.


	3. candid state

Max wakes up, surrounded by tangled limbs and loud snores. 

She feels turns over, attempting to fall back asleep.   
But instead she sees a lovely sight.   
Eleven in curled up into a small ball, hands cupped under her head.   
Her hair is fanning around her face, uncombed and long.   
Even in her candid, untamed state max finds her beautiful.   
Maybe even more than she did before. 

Eleven tenses, feeling the weight of a gaze settling onto her. 

She pries her eyes open, body tense and ready.   
She sees max, eyes wide and full of love.   
As soon as she wakes max flits her eyes away, cheeks flushing slightly. 

“Oh your awake!” She whispers, getting up and outstretching her hands.   
Eleven nods, rubbing her closed fists against her eyes.   
She accepts the redheads hand, but then says   
“I’m going to go wash my face”   
She didn’t say she was going to change but she grabbed her bag anyway, her intent clear.   
She learned this habit from Will, who every morning as soon as he wakes up heads to the restroom and washes his face.   
She learned it woke her up and made her feel cleaner. 

Walking up the stairs she thought about the movie,   
All that blood made her feel sick, she shuddered. 

Closing the restroom door she checked behind the door. 

She pulled her shirt over the head, now thinking about how uncomfortable Dustin was with the movie.   
“Maybe next time we can watch E.T” she whispers to herself. 

Walking down to the stairs she smiles, seeing max fully changed now.   
She was wearing a blue shirt and white jean shorts. 

No one else’s was awake. 

“Wanna watch cartoons?” she offers, sitting on the couch. 

“Yea!” she answers 

Max smiles, patting the spot next to her. 

They watch looney toons for a while, slowly drifting closer and closer.   
Max unconsciously puts her arm around her brunette friend, the action causing her to flush. 

They hear a groan behind them, then a   
“The hell-?” 

Then a disoriented Dustin pops up, shuffling to the couch. 

The rest of the boys wake up, one by one.   
Each foaming and moaning complains 

“my stomach hurts” will gripes, clutching his stomach. 

“You had to much sugar,” lucas laughs, shoving him slightly  
“shut up” he mumbles, 

“Want to get breakfast before my parents wake up?” Mike offers, pointing upstairs. 

“Sure.” 

They quietly sneak upstairs, mumbling and pushing through the stairway.

Eleven pops the waffles into the toaster, two at a time.   
Dustin lays on the ground, claiming it is   
“Too hot..!”   
“Get off the ground”   
“no” 

They all munch of waffles, some doused in syrup while others plain.   
“Yours is so dry-!” dustin grumbles,   
“Your practically drowning yours!” will retorts, trying to keep his voice low. 

“Shut up” dustin says, mouth full 

“Eww gross” Max shifts away from his open mouth 

Eleven giggles, happily chewing.   
Her eyes drift to max, who is chomping her waffle vigorously.   
“mmm” she moans happily   
“I didn’t realize how hungry I was..” 

“Wanna go to the arcade later?” Lucas suggests, washing his and Dustins dishes. 

“Sure” they all say, closely following up. 

Mike drags them all downstairs, claiming they need to   
“clean up” 

Dustin walked around, searching for his shirt   
“Have you seen my shirt?” he demands, sifting through his bag.   
Eleven throws it at him, her smile paired with a sarcastic   
“Keep track of your stuff!” 

Max watches as Eleven helps the rest of them collect their things, hair tangled but fluffy as she hops, clutching her bag.

Max smiles softly as she was watches her from the corner of her eye, unaware that she is doing the same.


	4. midnight call

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> i am so sorry it’s so short! i kinda have had writers block so i had to rewrite this 3 times, sorry if it’s awful

zbc4

Dustin lays on his bed, eyes closed but head faced at the ceiling.  
Something buzzed from under his bed, causing his eyes to snap open. 

It buzzes again, this time accompanied with a muffled voice. 

He bends over, rustling around trying to locate his walkie. 

“I copy!” he whispers into it, careful to stay quite.  
“Dustin!” Mike speaks,  
“What’s up?” he asks, rubbing his large hand over his face.  
“Couldn’t sleep”  
Dustin grumbles in response, closing his eyes again  
“Uhh.. can I ask you something?” mike says softly, dustin hearing shuffles and creaks on the other side.  
“Sure”  
“So... I think I like someone, who I shouldn’t like.”  
Dustin pauses, thinking this over  
“What’s her name?” he finally asks  
“Can’t say”  
“Okay... uh Why can’t you like her?”  
“It’s just.. not allowed” he says slowly, voice sounding guilt ridden.  
“I guess- ask them out?”  
“I don’t understand why you came to me about this-“ he starts before being interrupted by mike  
“Everyone else was asleep or not answering”  
“Oh.” he chuckles  
“That makes sense” 

There is a pause before dustin yawns loudly,  
“Oh I’m sorry, I will let you sleep” Mike says  
But before Dustin could argue he turned his walkie off, leaving dustin to listen to the crackle of an empty line.

“Night mike” he mutters before falling into a weak but restful sleep.


	5. denial

Mike flops down onto his bed, emotionally exhausted. 

And terrified. 

He goes over things in his mind, his body weighed down but his heart and head demanding he stays awake. 

He thinks about Will.   
His long time friend.   
He thinks about how his odd hair cut frames his face, complimenting him in a way it shouldn’t.   
He thought about his chocolate brown eyes, filled with so much sorrow but so much happiness. 

He looks at the photo on his desk, one of the party, arms slung around one another.   
He traces the pad of his pointer finger over wills face, younger than now. 

He abruptly pulls his hand back, fingertips dancing with imaginary fire. 

He exhales, sting back down onto the bed.   
“It’s not right” he says, half heartedly. 

But with those words he knows that it is true. 

“I can’t be..” he lowers his trembling voice   
“Gay”   
He spits the word out as if it’s venom burning his tongue.   
The way his mother says it.   
The way his father says it. 

He says it the a way that most people do, ashamed, hateful, divided between disgust and hostility. 

Tears slip down his cheeks as he grips the bedsheets, trying to have a grip on life as his world spun around him. 

He settles into a fitful, tear stained sleep.


	6. those moments

zbc6

El wakes up, the corners of her eyes crinkling with sleep. 

She wanders around her room for a few minutes, stretching her muscles and popping her joints. 

She walks into the restroom, combing her fingers through her hair.  
She walks in and sees Will brushing his teeth, eyes nearly closed as he leans against the sink.  
“Wow, your up early” she teases, leaning against the wall  
He just grumbles as a response, spitting out his toothpaste. 

El looks him over once more, an unconscious check on her step brothers health.  
He had slight bags under his eyes, sadly a constant now, and he was slumped over.  
But overall he was fine. 

But she asked anyway,  
“Are you alright?” 

“Yea..” he mumbles, rubbing the flesh of his palm against his closed eye.  
“I just woke up early” 

She splashes her face with cold water, enjoying the tingle it offers to her skin.

Will mumbles his goodbye, scratching at his arm lightly. 

She flops onto her bed, shaking it violently. She cringes, letting out a hiss.  
But she hears no movement and relaxes again, bending down and grabbing a comic from under her bed. 

She flips through the comic, attempting to find her place.  
She learned that folding a comic was bad  
etiquette, dustin loudly gasping when he saw her doing so and saying  
“Don’t do that-!!”  
She smiled fondly at this memory, but her cheeks flushed slightly at her past embarrassment. 

She found her place, then became engrossed into the fantasy world  
of her favorite super hero, wonder woman. 

She read the words, tracing her fingers over the heroes features as she fought. 

Every time she reads this it reminds her of Max, and that causes of flurry of panic in her stomach, a familiar feeling that she chooses to ignore. 

But this time the feeling feels different. 

With Mike it felt like protection, a little more than friendship and soft kisses.  
It felt safe, it felt normal.  
It felt like a childhood crush, a first time.  
Or something precious and all her own.  
It was a comfortable, easy romance.  
But it faded over time, faded for the both of them. 

But this feeling, this feeling it new.  
One of adventure, one of stargazing and biking during summer.  
One of trying something new and if the blue sky above her could feel like a fabric. 

It feels like the color red, the certain type  
tired from laying in the sun.   
It felt like the sun.

She doesn’t understand why she never sees any couples like that on TV, or in town.  
So she assumes something is wrong with her, but it is strange. She doesn’t feel sick or broken. 

But she passes on, clinging to moments with Max, replaying them in her mind as she lays in her bed, limbs splayed out in all directions. 

Those moments are when she knows she loves Max.


	7. normal

The phone rings, a metallic clanging noise paired with its shaking. 

Dustin moves to answer it but his Mother gets to it first.  
He hears her hum lightly, then chuckle and scream his nickname

“The phones for you!” She almost yells, holding the piece of tech in question away from her face, covering the ear piece. 

“Alright” he answers, jogging back to his room. 

“Who’s this?” he asks into his phone, a bit of dread accompanied with the question.  
There was a chuckle from the other side of the line, only it was muffled and staticky.  
“Lucas” He answers, dustin almost able to hear his grin from the other side of the line. 

“What’s up?” he asked, curios at the contact.  
“I was wonderin’ if you wanted to come over? Maybe watch a movie?” He asked, scratching the back of his neck. 

“Sure” dustin says, now pacing a round the room, trying to keep close so the phone doesn’t get pulled off of its perch on his desk.  
“As long as it’s not a horror movie.” he adds, now grinning.  
Lucas giggles, the accepts the demand. 

“Meet me at the video store?” Dustin says after the soft laughter died out.  
“Yea. what time?”  
Dustin checked the clock on his dresser, two forty.  
“Uhh.. fourish?” he proposes  
“Alright. See you then.”  
“Bye lucas”  
“Bye Dusty” Dustin heats up a bit at the nickname, one that Lucas picked up from his mother and Suzy. 

Suzy...  
He and Suzy broke up, her claiming that he  
“Never has any time for her!”  
Dustin tried to convince her she was wrong, that he just couldn’t contact her, which was true, but it only made it worse. 

Thinking of that made him a bit sad, something that he did not enjoy being. 

He shuffled around, beginning to pack for the night away. 

He knows he just stayed with his friends, but sleepovers had become a more than normal occurrence.  
If their parents found it odd, none of them said anything. 

Sometimes it was difficult to sleep alone, this was an unspoken agreement between all of them.  
Sometimes they stayed on the walkie a all night, just to have someone to calm them down if they were woken up by nightmares.  
Many nights of the weekend are spent in each other’s beds, swaddled in each other’s blankets. 

Once the summer came, they spent two or more nights away from home, comforted by the ore fence of one another’s bodies.  
Sometimes it was the whole group, other times it was just a pair. 

So this was normal. 

So why does dustin feel giddy with excitement?  
Why does he feel like something is rolling inside of his stomach, tickling as it goes? 

He doesn’t know, doesn’t care.  
He packs, adding a few bags of candy he has hidden in his room and zips the bag up, humming contently.


	8. candy bag

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> i’m sorry i haven’t really been posting! i’m working on several other things at the moment! 
> 
> comments would be appreciated!

Lucas opens the door to the video store, a jingle alerting everyone of his presence. 

He cranes his neck, searching for his friend.   
“Lucas!” Someone says from his left,   
Lucas whips around, shushing the brunette.   
Dustin grabs his hand, bringing him toward his favorite movie isle. 

They shuffle around, each one plucking individual movies off of the shelves. 

They eventually come together, trading and showing off the films. 

“No..” Dustin says as he cards through them, unknowingly mumbling his distaste with each film.   
Someone else may be offended by this act, but lucas doesn’t mind, it’s just one of Dustins quirks. 

They eventually settle onto Goonies, a movie that had recently come out. 

The whole party had gone to see it, saving up for months.   
Steve lent Dustin some money for snacks, and drove them all there, saying how they shouldn’t eat too much candy.   
A suggestion which they promptly ignored. 

They walk up to the counter, and greeted by a friendly face.   
“Heya kids” Robin says, overly cheery as she playfully glares at Steve, who is leaning against the wall looking right at her.   
Dustin and Lucas wave at steve, who waves back.   
“Only one movie?” she asks, quirking an eyebrow.   
Dustin open his mouth, then closes it.   
He glances over at the rest of the movies, about to turn around and go get more when Lucas grabs his wrist and says  
“Yes. Only one for tonight.” 

“Alrighty then” She says, plastering on an even wider smile.  
“Robin.. are you alright?” Dustin asks, an amused but puzzled look on his face.

She leaned down on the counter then whispered   
“Steve said I was scaring away costumers with my attitude, so I’m going to be overly cheerful until he begs me to stop.” 

They all exchanged knowing glances then left, bidding farewells and a short secret handshake. 

————

They both arrived at the Sinclair home, stashing their bikes then making their way to Lucas’s room. 

But their silent trek was interrupted by Erica, who snickered and said   
“Oh look, the two Nerds” she emphasized the word nerd, cocking her head sarcastically along with the comment.   
“Go away Erica” Lucas responds, swinging his hand in the opposite direction as them.   
Dustin just sticks his tongue out as they pass, shutting his eyes and bringing his brows down momentarily. 

Once they are in his room, or ‘sanctuary’ as Lucas calls it, they plop onto the bed and floor respectively, dropping bags as they go. 

——- 

Dustin looks at the clock, as he munches on gummy worms.   
He slams back onto the ground, grumbling about TV and neon clocks. 

The sound of his back on the carpeted floor creates a hard thud noise, one that is muffled but makes to two boys shiver in discomfort.   
“Dude are you okay?” lucas asks, propping himself up on his elbows.   
“M’fine” dustin mumbles blindly rummaging through another bag of candy. 

Lucas silently puts his hand in the bag, wanting more sour-sugary treats.   
Their fingers brush against each other, knuckles briefly knocking together. 

Lucas mutters a halfhearted apology, not exactly sorry.   
But he doesn’t pull back.   
Neither does Dustin. 

They lay like this, hands almost connected, for what seems like a long time.   
Dustin doesn’t look at a clock again for the rest of the night. 

There is a energy between them, a strange supernatural understanding.   
They are afraid to move, afraid to break the trance they are in. 

Until one of them does.

Lucas abruptly shoots up, eyes filled with something that can only be described as knowing. 

Dustin follows immediately afterward, worried that lucas picked up on the emotions swirling around them, the meaning behind what they were doing. 

“Luc-“ he starts, his pleading words cut short by a kiss. 

This kiss tasted like sour patch kids, felt like a prickly burning sensation dancing in their mouths. 

This was a kiss full of innocent longing, not a lustful longing, but one of long nights talking, one of wanting o hold hands and kiss like this forever. 

Their hands stayed in the now empty candy bag, as they wished tomorrow would never come.


	9. all they need to know

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> sorry it’s so short! i’m writing several fics rn..

But tomorrow did come, and it came with new struggles and confusion. 

They were awoken by the bright sunlight filtering through the half closed blinds right into their faces. 

Lucas groans, lifting his hand above his eyes.   
The night they just spent together settles into his mind like a blissful but harsh haze, the reality of the situation dawning on his happy mind. 

“We’re screwed.” He mutters, careful to stay quite. 

Dustin stirs, his hand still clasped right around Lucas’s. 

“What-?” He groans, then he shoots up his eyes wide and filled with realization. 

“Shit” 

They lock eyes, each pair still filled with the crushing weight of their actions. 

“What are we-“ Lucas starts, putting his head in his hands 

“I love you” Dustin blurts out, then immediately covers his mouth up, fear in the way he breathes. 

“I- love you too.” 

That created an unspoken agreement, one that calmed their nerves, but added a small seed of fear in the back of their minds and hearts. 

——— 

They walk out of Lucas room, greeted by freshly made pancakes. 

“Hello nerds, what’s wrong with your faces?” She asks, voice dripping with sarcasm. 

“Erica!” Her mother gasps, but not making a move to reprimand her any further. 

“Same thing that’s wrong with yours.” Lucas responds, not giving her even a glance. 

Erica huffs, annoyed that her brother has caught up to her insults. 

——— 

They eat breakfast in almost silence, broken only by small chatter of the two adults at the table. 

———— 

They lay on the bed, eyes trained on the ceiling as they think.   
Time stretches out, elongating into something unfathomable and stalking.   
They don’t know when or why they did this, but they link hands, an assurance of their bonds and presence. 

They are happy,   
Enveloped in a joyous but temporary haze of kisses and hopes,   
of starting a new and comfortable relationship. 

This relationship was something that was being built on for ages, something that was new. 

They decided not to “define” themselves, they are in love.   
That’s all they need to know.


	10. swimsuit shopping

The hangers click together, the rustling fo fabric a constant noise in the odd smelling department store. 

Max holds up several swimsuits, triumphantly grinning at her finds. 

“Have you found any?” She asks, walking over to the brunette. 

“Yea.. I found two..” she says, lifting up two one pieces she found buried in neon jump suites and polka dotted bikini bottoms.

————— 

Eleven walks out of the changing room, arms crossed over her body. 

“It’s freezing in here!” She says, grimacing as she says so 

Max chuckles, then motions for Eleven to turn and show off her swimsuit. 

Jane spreads her arms out, spinning in front of the mirror and her companion Max. 

She was wearing a two colored swimsuit, a deep navy blue and a bright yellow.   
It was divided in three parts, revealing small slivers of skin in between each wide swath. 

“You look amazing!” Max beams, her cheeks tinted a light rosy pink color. 

She gazes at Eleven with a sort of wonder, a wonder of how someone so sweet could have been through so much. 

She peppers the brunette with praises and fleeting smiles, enjoying how proud she looks. 

“You should get that one. No question about it.”  
Max states, 

“Okay!” The other girl says, spinning in the mirror once more. 

“Your turn!” Jane says, pushing her friend into the dressing room. 

————— 

Max comes out in a lavender one-piece, it’s sleeves capped over her small shoulders. 

“You look pretty in that color” El says, putting one of her hands on the fabric. 

“Eh.. I’m not sure I like it..” She says, bringing her upper lip closer or her nose. 

El thought this was the cutest thing, a little quirk that she has noticed over the past year. 

————- 

Max steps out, cheekily grinning. 

“This is the one.” she says, twirling on the cold tile floor. 

She’s wearing a two piece, it’s top a thick black and white fabric with a large zipper in the front, her bottoms a tight biker short style. 

Eleven just smiles, giving her freckle blessed friend a big thumbs up.


	11. pool

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ok so i have a hc that nancy works at the pool for extra money in this au,  
> and she guess the kids the key on some days, letting them go in after it closes down.  
> so yea

zbc11

Will and El wave goodbye to Joyce, the brunette woman yelling be careful at them for the third time, her heart heavy with worry.  
But another part of her knows that they can take care of themselves, that they can protect each other if anything goes wrong.  
Which nothing will. 

————- 

Will shivers as he sits on the edge of the pool, his feet warped and bent in the toppling water. 

“Will! Come on in!” Dustin whoops, waving his arms above his head, Mike shoots him a look then he quieted down.  
“Maybe in a bit!” Will yells back, even though he probably won’t for a while, he’s content watching his friends play for now. 

———— 

Eleven blinks, her lashes filled with droplets of water, she feels someone to her right kick and spin away. 

“Marco!” 

“Polo!” 

Someone laughs to her left, a short snort and a splash,  
she spins in circles, her arms splayed out and eyes screwed shut. 

She touches someone, she opens her eyes and says,  
“Your it!” 

Dustin sputters, claiming she didn’t touch him, his voice filled with a joking tone and suppressed laughter.  
But he gives in and drops under the water, beginning to count. 

He pops up, gasping for air and revenge. 

—————-

They all float, hair floating in the water around their faces. 

No one notices how close Lucas and Dustin are, their hands almost touching.  
Maybe they are just far enough to seem like they aren’t, but in reality they are being held together by something more meaningful than a physical contact. 

No one notices how many glances Will sneaks at Mike, or how many times mike bumps shoulders with Will, then shudders softly like he was shocked. 

No one notices how the two girls peer at each other as if they where their whole world,  
as if the other was the most stunning powerful being in the entire universe.  
Although maybe to them they are. 

“Isn’t awesome that nancy lets us here?” Lucas says at one point, now treading water lightly, the water running through his open fingers tickling him. 

“Yea.. I sure as hell hope nobody catches us” Max says, spinning around on her back looking at the blackening sky. 

A round of chuckles and nods of agreement erupt from the small group, a few of them glancing around to see if anyone is behind the fence. 

Mike checks his watch 

“Shit- it’s late! We gotta get out of here!” He says, scrambling to get out of the pool. 

They all follow suite, putting on sweatshirts and towels. 

“Bye-bye see you tomorrow!” They all give their farewells, parting ways except for Mike and Will. 

“Lets go!” Mike says, wanting to get will to his home quickly,  
Knowing how the town at dark reminds him of something he doesn’t want to remember. 

“Alright- gimme a sec..” He says, appreciating mikes memory and kindness. 

“What do you want to do when we get home?” 

“Whatever you want.”


	12. a forbidden something

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> idk if this is written well, but i tried

Will clings tight into mike’s chest, his nose pressed in the middle of his shoulder blades. 

He smells like chlorine.   
Wills hair drips, each fat drop of water making him shiver as it rolls lazily down his back. 

“You alright?” Mike asks, throwing his head back slightly, exposing his neck to the hot muggy night air. 

“Yea” Will says, eyes still screwed shut, he tries to focus on the feel of hugging mike, an secretly intimate sort of thing, one that only half of them realizes they appreciate so greatly. 

Mike leans into Wills touch, something he always has done.   
But this time when he does it, sparks fly across his body, the touch igniting a feeling he has only felt once before. 

He mumbled a cuss, knowing that his fears have been confirmed, even more so than before. 

“Did you say something?” Will asks, lifting his face from its perch.   
“Nothin” Mike mumbles back. 

They bike in silence for the remainder of the ride, sparks tickling at their fingertips and prodding at their heart. 

——————

Will throws a comic at Mike, his grin spreading wider than ever as Mike sputters, claiming that   
“Superman is not cooler than Green lantern!”   
“Yes he is! Green lantern is- is-!!” Will retorts, not able to coherently form his sentence.   
“A twink!” He finishes, proud of his insult. 

Mike stammers, his mouth in a large ‘o’ shape. 

But then he stops. 

His mouth is agape for a different reason,   
Will is drawing him in, his smile and laugh the beacon of hope of his condition,   
in this moment he realizes, he knows that he can’t hide it for much longer. 

He leans forward, his body and instinct working for- maybe against him. 

Will freezes, his body and mind going still and quite. 

Mike kisses him, something he now knows he has wanted to do for a long time, 

Will jumps, a startled and happy jump. 

He wraps his arms around mike, his watch briefly catching on a loose thread. 

They break apart, Mikes eyes flashing from happiness and bliss to fear and regret. 

“Fuck- Fuck- what have I done-“ Mike curses himself, stepping away from will. 

“This can’t be happening-“ He continues, will watching with a sad horror as he mentally abuses himself.

“Mike-“ He tries, voice cracking  
“Mike.” He says, voice harder and more commanding 

“Mike you may think that there is something wrong with you.. but there’s not. there is something wrong with the place and time we live in..” he says this as he scoots closer to his silent friend. 

Mike just stares, his cheeks stained with tears.   
He has a slight shake to his voice when he says this, his voice otherwise calm and collected.   
“My parents will hate me..” 

Will can not argue with this, knowing how it feels to be trapped, the town around you pressing and suffocating you with each passing day. 

He doesn’t say anything, although he desperately wants to- needs to. 

But Mike looks up, seeing the pained expression on Wills face.   
And he makes up his mind.  
“They won’t have to know. No one will.” He says this quietly, afraid that someone might hear him. 

Will wraps his arms around mike,   
but like pushes him away, keeping him held tight at arms length   
“Will- would you like to be my boyfriend?”   
He says the word boyfriend as if he had never said it before, not in this sense.   
It tasted odd, like copper and something sweet.   
“Yes”  
“Yes I will” 

————-

They stay huddled together, heaving small sobs and reading comics like this for the rest of the night, not getting a wink of sleep as the adrenaline curses through their veins, 

they talk about it,   
and decide that not telling their friends is best, even though hiding it pains them so.


	13. admittance,  acceptance and unconditional love

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> IMPLIED HOMOPHOBIA

zbc13

Will shifts uncomfortably in the car, his lifted then leadened heart twisting itself painfully to accommodate the deal he and mike made. 

He can’t stand it.   
He feels like he is trapped, trapped in an alleyway that can only lead to somewhere bad.   
But he loves mike, and he has a long time.   
And his mother loves him.   
Why would that change? 

——————

“Mike- I can’t do this- I can’t hide us from my mom-!”   
he says, voice in a low whisper but a panicked scream. 

Mike swallows, but has a feeling, a strong one that overpowers his sense of fear,   
“Alright- please be careful..” he pleads,  
giving his boyfriend his trust and the controls of the situation.   
———- 

Will swallows, then knocks on his mothers door.   
“Come in dear,” she says, folding the edge of her book down and looking up at her son.   
“Is your sister he-“ she stops and sees his tear stained face,   
She gets up and guides her son into her arms and onto the bed   
“what happened?” she asks, a fury behind her words,   
“Who did this to you?”   
Will coughs, then sharply inhales   
“No one- I have to tell you something.”  
He pushes her away, then looks into her brown eyes. 

“You can tell me anything” she says, her voice and body now tensing.   
“It isn’t.. visions again?” she asks softly   
Will shakes his head then begins 

“You love me right?”   
joyce nods   
“Nothing about me has changed-“ he pleads, his eyes sorrowful and scared   
“I am.. I’m gay.” he says, now looking down not out of shame but out of uncertainty and anxiety. 

Joyce stays silent, her mouth in a hard line as she looks at her son   
Will cringes in the silence, tears running down his face.   
She pulls him in close, petting his hair and saying  
“I still love you. I always, Will. This will never stop.”   
“I’m glad you told me” she adds 

Will sobs in relief, his shoulder shaking violently. 

Then he sucks in another sharp breath, remembering something else he has to say   
“And.. I’m dating Mike.” 

Joyce beams a watery smile, happy that someone can make her son happy 

But then the hard truth hits her and she becomes serious and grim 

“Both of you.. be careful.” 

Will nods, understanding the meaning behind the vague sentence.   
“We will-“ 

then he looks into his mothers eyes, a deep sad begging ingrained into his pupils.   
“Don’t tell his parents.” 

Joyce nods, understanding the situation.   
She never exactly liked mikes parents, although she loves their son and daughter. 

Neither of them mention the need to tell the rest of the family,   
to tell Eleven   
to tell Jim  
To tell Jonathan

The love in the rear stained moment, hugging each other in relief.


	14. planning, of sorts

“I did it!” will whipsers into the walkie, his room dark and voice hushed but filled with relief, pride and excitement. 

“Did it go okay?” Mike asks frantically, worried that Joyce might tell his parents. 

Will explained, his voice becoming watery at some points, but only for a few seconds before it is covered by the overwhelming sound of relief. 

They talk for hours, attempting to keep the topic light. 

They usually succeed, until the mention of the question that is looming over their foggy and sugary sweet honeymoon of the early relationship. 

They have mentioned this before, but it still nags at them awfully, tearing at their hearts and stomachs with a sense of guilt and regret.   
They do not regret the kisses or the tightly clasped hands in the dark, nor do they regret the sense that they are doing something wrong.   
That this is unnatural, no matter how incorrect that is.   
They regret that they have to hide it from their chosen family, the people they have been through hell with. 

They don't know that each and every one of their friends is struggling through varying states of the exact same thing, the remorse and longing for something they are told they cannot have. 

“We have to tell them- we can't just hide something.. Like this. Not forever, at least”   
Mike mumbles, the trance of romance and flushed cheeks breaking like shattered glass struck with a hammer. 

“I know..” will agree, still attempting to catch and grapple with the pleasure of uncertain trust and stability. 

They talk about it, concurring that they should tell them when they feel ready, when they know that they will be alright, that they love each other. 

They know the latter fact to be true, they have known it for years.   
But, they do not know the first one, it is a harsh and precarious future ahead of them, one that has many ways that lead to dark hallways of abuse and pain.   
Most lead to places like this, ones they do not want to speak about but share an understanding of their overbearing probability.   
There are a few hallways, ones filled with acceptance and loving huge, and words thrown about such as   
“We will always love you, no matter what” 

Neither of them know what they would do without the party, and neither of them want to find out.


	15. i love you

ee

Max and El arrive at els house, their legs dryer than before but hair still dripping. 

They both stay as quite as possible, not wanting to awake the two adults sleeping and face their disgruntled faces. 

Max and Eleven are linked by intertwined pinkies, the brunette leading the other to her room happily. 

—————- 

Max shoves El a bit, making her flop onto the already messed up sheets of the bed. 

El giggles, grasping her friends freckled arms. 

Jane loves Max’s freckles, they remind her of stars, something that accentuates her every unique feature, that adds to her sun kissed look. 

El has tried to count them all, just to see if she could.   
But she lost count many times, distracted by max’s suppressed chuckles at els attempted feat. 

—————- 

Max begins to braid Jane’s hair, now quite long.   
It’s tips are a light brown, bleached by chlorine and sun.   
Her hair is soft and still slightly damp from the pool.   
They are both dresses in their pajamas, the soft fabric calming down their happy rush of energy.   
“Your hair is beautiful” Max says, truly meaning it 

“Thanks-“ Eleven responds, her heart swelling with pride. 

They switch spots, Max having her hair braided by the amateur. 

El loves to run her fingers through max’s soft hair, the smell of her shampoo wafting up to greet her nose.   
It smells like coconut, which is something that El has linked with the girl she loves. 

“Finished!” She says after a bit, holding her arms loosely in the air triumphantly.  
Max feels the braid, checking to see if El did it correctly. 

She whips around, her face split into a dazzling grin. 

“You did it e-“   
“Be my girlfriend?” Jane bursts out, the words flying past her lips before she could consider the consequences. 

Max blinks a few times, her eyes wide and mouth agape a bit. 

“I’m sorry I didn’t mean to say that..” El says, still attempting to gauge her companions reaction. 

But max leans forward and presses a chaste kiss to her lips, then when she breaks away from els startled form she looks deep into her chocolate brown eyes and says   
“I didn’t think you liked girls-“   
“I like you” She responds quickly, entranced by the warm feel of her lips and her rose spotted cheeks. 

After a moment of giddy silence max asks a question   
“So.. we are dating now?” 

El considers this, knowing what dating is, and then nods   
“Yes we are” 

Max pulls Jane down to a hug,  
flopping down onto the bed. 

“We can’t tell anyone” The redhead says, breaking the drunk on happiness trance that had settled over the both of them.

El sits up, her brow furrowed, she understands that not many couples like... them are seen, but why skit they hide it?

“Why?” 

Max sucks in a breath, now preparing to say a difficult explanation

“Well.. lots of people don’t like... this kind of relationship. Where two people of the same gender love each other”   
“why?”   
“Because they are stupid.”   
“Is.. this” she gestures between max and her   
“bad?”   
“No-! No- it’s just that ‘god’ says it’s wrong” she puts quotation marks around the word god, 

eleven nods, not exactly understand why it is considered bad, but accepting it with a heavy heart anyway. 

“We will.. Have to keep it a secret. Can we tell our friends?” She adds the last part hastily, not wanting to hide anything from her found family. 

“Maybe.. When we feel the time is right.”

———— 

For the rest of the night they trade whispers of sweet nothings, assortments of comforting words and jokes thrown about.


	16. hidden

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I AM SO SORRY FOR HOW SHORT IT IS I HAVE WRITERS BLOCK AND HAVE BEEN FEELING DOWN ON MY WRITING LATELY  
> I HOPE YOU FORGIVE ME READERS

none of them know about their secrets, none of them know how deeply they are in love or how painful it is to break the trust that they have built.  
this may seem like something small and insignificant, but it isn't. 

to hide your love from the people you care for and trust the most is hard, especially when you have a sort of bond you do not see everyday, one that is created by seeing horrors that will forever haunt your nightmares, a shared trauma that they were all too young to see.

they all thought the others would hate their pairs, the fact that they where something that was considered 'unnatural' at the time, something 'unholy'.  
if only they knew how truly incorrect they are.


	17. decisions have been made

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> again, im sorry its so short but i tried

There is something stiff about them for the last few weeks, an air of uncomfortable secrets and oppressive guilt. 

None of them say anything, as they fear it is their fault.   
But they all know that they will need to do something eventually. 

Dustin is the first to take action on this, asking Lucas if they should go outright and tell the others. 

“I dont think it's just me.. But there is something wrong with us lately.. It's just so awkward?” 

Lucas agrees, still quite reluctant but he accepts knowing that they cannot go on like this.

They discuss how they should do it, making mental lists of pros and cons of each option. 

They feel that this is something someone of their age should not have to go through, they should be frolicing with their friends holding hands and purley unafraid, not bound by the social pressure to be like everyone else, even if everyone else is lying to themselves anyway. 

They finally settle onto something, lips torn into shreds of anxiety and fear over the upcoming event. 

The event that could make or break the strong friendship built up on trauma and love.


	18. Chapter 18

I WILL BE TAKING A BREAK FROM THIS FOR A BIT   
I MIGHT UPDATE RANDOMLY 

I APOLOGIZE


End file.
